A man is facing charges in a federal court in Georgia after, prosecutors allege, he slapped a flight attendant’s rear end on a Delta Air Lines flight last month.
Cody Maluck, 32, is facing charges of interference with a flight crew or flight attendants in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
The incident occurred on May 9, when Mr. Maluck was a passenger on Delta Flight 800, which took off from Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for Los Angeles International Airport, according to the complaint filed against him this month.
Mr. Maluck is accused of causing a disturbance that led to the flight’s diversion to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after he slapped the behind of a flight attendant identified in the complaint as P.L.L. while she began in-flight drink service.
P.L.L. told authorities that she initially passed by Mr. Maluck’s seat, thinking him asleep, only to feel the slap shortly afterward, according to the complaint.
Mr. Maluck told authorities that he was wearing headphones when drink service began. While he admitted to touching the area around P.L.L.’s rear end, he said it was to get her attention and was not meant to harm or disrespect the flight attendant, according to the complaint.
Delta Air Lines told USA Today that it has “zero tolerance” for disruptions, adding that “we will always cooperate with law enforcement to address such conduct and protect our people.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed 687 unruly passenger incidents in 2026, with 56 incidents being investigated and 33 “enforcement actions” taken as a result. The FAA has also levied around $700,000 in fines to unruly passengers this year.
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